Contents *About The Circle Initiative * About The Circle Initiative partnerships * Background * The Circle Initiative journey A number of documents are available from this website are in PDF format which requires Acrobat Reader to be able to open them.  Acrobat Reader can be download freely and easily from the Adobe Acrobat website.

The Circle Initiative The Circle Initiative was the first programme to pilot Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in the UK. Funded through £4.6 million of Single Regeneration Budget (SRB) from the London Development Agency (LDA), since 2001, it was led by Central London Partnership (CLP), with Westminster City Council as the accountable body. The aim of the programme was to create five private sector-led partnerships, modelled on the BID concept and to establish if the BID model was appropriate in a variety of different local circumstances. A key element of the programme was establishing a Learning Network to identify and share the lessons learnt in the programme to guide the development of future BIDs. The programme finished at the end of March 2006, and in this final year a full evaluation of the project has been conducted, in line with the requirements of SRB funding. A final report, The Circle Initiative: Thirty nine steps to develop a Business Improvement District, will be produced that brings together the lessons and key messages from the programme. Four aspects of the programme have been particularly innovative: • Trailblazing a new approach The Circle Initiative took a leading role in promoting the introduction of BIDs in the UK. It was the first programme to pilot BIDs and it has been instrumental in developing the legislation needed to implement BIDs in England. The Circle Initiative BIDs were amongst the first to go to ballot in the UK and had to overcome the obstacles inherent in implementing newly-drafted legislation for the first time and the inevitable teething problems that ensued. • Business-led renewal The Circle Initiative took a truly business-led approach, developing   partnerships, and ultimately BIDs, which respond to the concerns and interests of the entire business community. • Applying the BID model to local circumstances The programme was designed to establish if the BID model was appropriate in a variety of different local circumstances. • Establishing a Learning Network The programme was designed to identify and disseminate the lessons learnt in order to guide the development of future BIDs. The Circle Initiative journey 2001 In the late 1990s business interest in shaping and improving central London was growing. This led Central London Partnership (CLP) to look at ways to harness this interest and the potential financial investment in local area improvement. BIDs were identified as an appropriate model and CLP established a Local Improvement Partnerships Task Force to focus on accelerating development and interest in BID-style partnerships. The task force organised study tours of the US and UK to investigate BIDs and other local improvement initiatives.  As a result of this tour a report was produced. At the same time growing interest in BIDs in government led the Government Office for London to suggest CLP develop a scheme to pilot BIDs in the UK. CLP applied for, and won, £4.6m funding from the Single Regeneration Budget (SRB), over five years. The five Circle Initiative Partnerships were selected either because there was an existing organisation in the area interested in developing a BID-type approach, or to ensure that the programme piloted the BID concept in a variety of different locations. Initially the programme was concerned with establishing management arrangements and internal systems and developing baseline information. The partnerships moved towards legal status, and establishing a long-term vision for each of the five pilot areas. Co-ordination and management was put in place, as well as projects aimed at gathering local information. A number of demonstration projects designed to make a visible and tangible difference to the partnership areas were initiated, to show the kind of benefits BIDs could deliver. These projects included: • introducing street wardens and enhanced street cleaning in Holborn; • safety activities relating to CCTV and enhanced lighting in Waterloo; • environmental projects involving greening and improvements to routes in Bankside; • formation of a Business Club and studies relating to lighting and community safety at Paddington; • conceptual design for the area around Piccadilly Circus. In June a conference was held to launch The Circle Initiative where BID experts from the US; Liz Luskin from Alliance for Downtown New York and Barbara Askins from 125th Street, shared their experiences of BIDs. A brochure explaining the programme was published for this event. A conference ‘BIDs in London: implications for local authorities’ was held in November to raise awareness of the concept of BIDs and consider the implications for local authorities across London. The Government White Paper Strong Local Leadership - Quality Public Services was published in December. This confirmed the Government´s commitment to BIDs, as part of the Government´s stated wish to ‘promote partnership working between authorities and local business’. 2002 The five partnerships continued to evolve within the context of their local area, which influenced the new and continuing projects that they delivered. A brochure The Circle Initiative One Year On was launched at a major conference in March, which featured a presentation from Mike O’Connor, Vice President of Operations for the Alliance for Downtown New York BID. In September, Westminster City Council Development Overview and Scrutiny Committee produced a report on the possible benefits and dis-benefits of BIDs. The Circle Initiative became a member of the International Downtown Association (IDA), which champions vital and liveable urban centres world-wide, and Circle representatives attended the IDA autumn conference. This was combined with a US study tour visiting six BIDs in New York and Philadelphia in September.  Click here for the IDA report.  Click here for the US Study tour report. The London BIDs website was launched by the then Minister for London, Tony McNulty, at the Urban Summit in October. The Local Government Bill was published in November, part 4 of this Bill referred to Business Improvement Districts. 2003 The five Partnerships started to prepare for the process of holding BID ballots and becoming fully operational BIDs. They continued to deliver a mixture of consolidated projects and a number of new ones. New projects were only approved if they could demonstrate that they would contribute to a ‘BID Sustainable Partnership’ and if they offered any ‘New Lessons’ for the Circle Initiative scheme. There was a delay in finalising the legislation and this resulted in the Partnerships postponing and re-profiling their activities. Partnerships also investigated the feasibility of extending or contracting their existing areas in order to be effective as a BID. Heart of London was the first to change their boundary. A conference was held in March with presentations on BIDs from sectoral practitioners, and a publication Countdown to BIDs – Lessons from The Circle Initiative was launched at the event. In June a Rangers Workshop was run in partnership with the Metropolitan Police to share the lessons learnt from the Rangers schemes set up by three of The Circle Initiative pilots and the New West End Company. Draft BID Guidance was published by the ODPM in August. The Circle Initiative helped to develop this guidance as a member of the Guidance Committee. The Local Government Act received Royal Assent on 18th September 2003. This provided the legislative framework to enable BID to be established, with detailed BID regulations to follow in 2004. 2004 Much of the year was a frustrating stop/start time as the anticipated deadlines for the completion of the regulations came and passed over a 6-month time-span. Coupled with this was the issue of the declining SRB funding available to the partnerships to sustain activities that were directly being used to enhance their efforts to win the ballot. The Regulations relating to BIDs were passed in September. The Circle Initiative has subsequently developed a guide to these regulations. Four of The Circle partnerships stated their intention to go to ballot before March 2005. Whilst there had been ongoing discussions with local authorities regarding formal legal agreements, ballot procedures and baseline activity, the passage of the regulations resulted in more focused work to ensure everything was in place for each partnership by the time ballot papers were sent out. The ballot process was a frustrating experience in some respects, mainly due to the Circle pilots being amongst the first to apply the BID regulations, and not being entirely clear on how the system should be operated as a consequence.   2005 The four partnerships that went to ballot all achieved ‘yes’ votes. The BID ballot details were as follows: • 31 December Heart of London – turnout 62% of the 201 hereditaments in the BID area, 71% voted yes, representing 73% of the rateable value of those who voted. The first BID period will last for just over 2 years. • 26 January Better Bankside - turnout 48% of the 325 hereditaments in the BID area, 75% voted in favour representing 66% of the rateable value those who voted. The first BID period will last for 5 years. • 11 February 4Holborn - turnout 50% of the 459 hereditaments in the BID area, 82% voted yes representing 77% of the rateable value of those who voted. The first BID period will last for 5 years. • 1 March Paddington BID – turnout of 51% of the 378 hereditaments in the BID area, 87% voted in favour representing 88% of the rateable value of those who voted. The first BID period will last for four years. Heart of London started operating as a formal BID on 14th February 2005. Better Bankside, 4Holborn and Paddington BID began operating as BIDs on 1st April 2005. Waterloo Quarter, the remaining pilot, was hoping to become the first cross-borough BID as the identified BID area included parts of LB Lambeth and LB Southwark.  However it emerged that because regulations covering cross borough BIDs had not been written they would have to hold, and win, two separate ballots.  In September their Board took the pragmatic view that this was too risky and decided to proceed with a ballot in the Lambeth part of the BID area initially. An event was held in April to celebrate the achievement of The Circle Initiative in establishing four BIDs to date, this was accompanied by a new publication Circle Celebration - BIDs arrive in London. In August, the ODPM published ´Guidance on the Business Improvement District (England) Regulations 2004´, which sets out the intention behind the legislative frameworkfor BIDs and advises on issues that might arise in the course of BID development and implementation. In September, Westminster City Council Development and Scrutiny Committe followed up with a second report on BIDs, following on from the report produced in 2002. In September The Circle Initiative was awarded the International Downtown Association´s prestigious Special Achievement Award in Downtown Leadership and Management.  Dave Feehan, President of the International Downtown Assoication, said: "Town centre management groups around the world will look to The Circle Initiative as an extraordinary example of what can be achieved by creativity and persistence in the face of daunting challenges.  The leaders of The Circle Initiative can rightly be proud of this outstanding accomplishment".  Click here for the press release. 2006 Waterloo Quarter Business Alliance, the remaining pilot, held its BID ballot from 31st January to 28th February 2006 and was also successful, making it five out of five for The Circle Initiative.  Waterloo Quarter Business Alliance achieved a 50% turnout, with 74% voting in favour by number and 92% by rateable value.  Waterloo Quarter plans to proceed with a ballot in the Southwark part of the BID area in summer 2006. The Circle Initiative ended on 31st March 2006. On 10th May an event took place to launch the ‘Thirty nine steps to developing a Business Improvement District’, a CD and leaflet summarising the lessons and key messages from the programme to provide a useful tool for future BIDs. The CD and leaflet are available from Central London Partnership. Please email communications@c-london.co.uk to request a copy.

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